Wayland students, employees demonstrate degree of difference

PLAINVIEW—About 150 students, faculty and staff from Wayland Baptist University dedicated a recent Saturday morning to serve their community for the fifth annual Degree of Difference Day in Plainview.

Work crews set out around 9 a.m. to locations around town, benefitting several agencies and organizations. Groups painted facilities for Early Childhood Intervention, Girl Scouts and Compassionate Care Pregnancy Center and did cleaning for Plainview Christian Academy and the Plainview Cemetery. Teams also sorted and organized at Broadway Treasures and Hunger Plus and helped the Crisis Center of the Plains move into its new downtown location.

In addition, teams staffed a fund-raising booth for Plainview Special Olympics, baked cookies for goody bags for Meals on Wheels clients, visited clients at Plainview Healthcare Center and washed cars to benefit Habitat for Humanity.

Volunteers also collected donated nonperishable food from about 1,000 homes to benefit Faith in Sharing House. The food drive resulted in several pickup loads of canned goods and other nonperishables collected, and all the projects were completed within the workday.

Sophomore Alycia Leal said she enjoyed “just knowing that we made someone’s day a little brighter” on the team that baked cookies for Meals on Wheels. “Being able to share Wayland and God positively with people and catching up with old friends was a good thing,” she said.

Kenyon Andrews helped play bingo with seniors at the Plainview Healthcare Center and also shared his singing talent.

“I enjoyed getting to see people that are older in age and have such strength and wisdom to share for life,” Andrews said.

“We had a great amount of food that we picked up, but for the area we had it could have been so much more,” Natalie Crawford said, noting she enjoyed sorting canned goods and realizing what a contribution the group had made for Faith in Sharing House.

Shaney Brewer worked with a crew at Early Childhood Intervention painting part of the facility.

“It was just a fun, refreshing way to help out an incredible organization. They impact the lives of so many individuals. So, f this small gesture helps out, I’m glad I could be a part,” Brewer said. “I also enjoyed working alongside fellow WBU students to make a difference.”

Estelle Owens, history professor at Wayland, served as team leader for the group at Compassionate Care and was excited that her group completed all the chores, much to the surprise of center director SuNell Pyeatt.

“It was a good feeling to help an organization that has little money but provides a really good community service,” Owens said. “I loved being outside on a beautiful day and making obvious progress on the tasks we did.”